Harpy Madonna
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| Harpy Madonna |
|---|
| Andrea del Sarto , 1517 |
| oil on wood |
| 178 × 208 cm |
| Uffizi Gallery |
The Harpy Madonna is an altarpiece by the Italian painter Andrea del Sarto . It is considered his masterpiece.
The order
According to the contract that the painter had concluded on May 14, 1515 with the overseer of the nunnery of the Franciscan Sisters of San Francesco dei Macci in Florence, he was supposed to paint an altarpiece with a coronation of Mary and Saints John and Bonaventure and deliver it within a year. However, two years later he delivered a picture of the Madonna with the baby Jesus on a polygonal base, two angels and Saints John and Francis . The base, which bears a tablet of inscriptions, is decorated with mythical animals, the harpies , who inspired Giorgio Vasari to use the name Harpy Madonna, by which the picture is known.
After the painting had initially served the nuns as an altarpiece, Ferdinando de 'Medici acquired it from the nuns for his art collection - in exchange for a copy by Francesco Petrucci (1660–1717) and the complete renovation of their church.
description
The Madonna stands on an antique base, which is placed on a curved pedestal in front of a stone niche. On her right arm she carries the baby Jesus , who hugs his mother's shoulder tenderly. She balances the boy's weight with the forward free leg on which she rests a book. The two little putti seem to be supporting her with all their might. She is dressed in a light red robe, from which the light yellow undergarment peeks out on the arm, and in a silk blue coat. She has swung a gold-colored scarf around her shoulder, onto which the white head veil falls loosely.
She is accompanied by St. Francis, who turns to her but at the same time looks at the viewer. He is dressed in a rich gray robe and holds the cross in his hand. The differentiated play of colors of the gray habit is a variation and at the same time a link to the background, which is kept entirely in gray tones. To the left of the Madonna stands a youthful and athletic Johannes, dressed in a purple-gray undergarment and a light red, lushly billowing cloak, which, with all its richness of folds, models the saint's body. He holds the book of the Gospels in his hand and looks at the viewer too.
There are two inscriptions on the base. In the cartridge :
- AD SUMMU [M] / REG [I] NA TRO / NU [M] DEFER / TUR IN AL / TUM / MDXVII
Andrea del Sarto's signature is in the surrounding frieze above and reads
- AÑD.SÃR.FLÕ.FÃB
interpretation
The outstanding quality of Andrea del Sarto's picture has already been recognized by Vasari. The painter is at the height of his skills here. He combines a monumental conception of figures reminiscent of Michelangelo with atmospheric density and a color brilliance that was evidently developed through his stay in Venice, which became visible again after the restoration in 1984.
A key to the picture is the inscription on the base. They are the opening verses of a hymn in honor of the resurrection of Mary. So it is an - albeit unusual - resurrection Madonna. Now the sense of the peculiar supporting motif of the two angels also becomes apparent: they are helpful in the ascension of Mary.
The unusual and striking mythical animals on the base could refer to the Revelation of John . It says there: When the dragon realized that he had fallen to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the son. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she could fly to their place in the desert. (Revelation 12 / 13-14.)
The picture is also an example of the cult of Mary by the Franciscan Sisters.
Web links
- Simona Cohen: Andrea del Sarto's monsters: the Madonna of the Harpies and human-animal hybrids in the Renaissance. (July 2004, engl.)
- Image description, engl.
Remarks
- ↑ Translated accordingly The Queen Elevated to the Supreme Throne, 1607 and created by the Florentine Andrea del Sarto .